7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt This story was made with Esri's Story Map Cascade. Read it on the web at https://arcg.is/8Dj0f. Stories as they should be The road to Agincourt The day king Henry V and his army wrote their names with golden letters into the books of history. The Battle of Agincourt took place on the 25th of October of 1415 between the English and the French kingdoms, where the English claimed a decisive victory despite the fact that they were outnumbered. The battle was one of the many over the period of Hundred year’ s war, a war which changed drastically the physiognomy of the two kingdoms, but it also brought a revolution to the European warfare (Curry, 2002). Despite the importance of the war itself, the battle of Agincourt is remembered until today, not only for its importance as a battle but also because the common men of England and Wales stood together and managed to take down the royal army of France, against all odds. Men-at-arms fighting during the battle of Agincourt (Image: Telegraph) https://edinuniv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2a5058d182fc47dc833e1b803cd2bf04&print 1/42 7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt That victory signalled the renewal of English claim over the French throne and levitated the spirit of the English, leading them to reclaim many areas of Northern France. The Hundred year' s war The Hundred years’ war refers to the chronical period when England and France were in conflict with each other over the succession of the French Throne. The war lasted from 1337 to 1453, with small periods of peace treaties, characterising it as one of the most notable conflicts of the middle ages, in which five generations of kings from rival dynasties fought for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe (Curry, 2002). The cause of the war was the claim of the French throne, which after the death of France’s King Carol IV in 1328 remained empty since he was childless and without a brother to succeed him. That opportunity gave the chance to Philip VI to take the throne as the nearest cousin of Carol IV and declare himself as King of France, while on the other side of the English channel King of England Eduard III, nephew of the dead King demanded the throne, as being nearer relative to Carol IV. According to the Grandes Chroniques de France, the counter-arguments to his demand were first based on the Salic code, which was in force in France and was excluding the succession to women, weakening Eduard’s claim and secondly to the fact that England was a vessel to France (Bennett, 1991). Opening of the "Lex Salica" (Salic code) book (source: tenthmedieval.wordpress.com) Maurois (1974) suggests that the real reason for the outbreak of the war was the refusal of Philip VI of France to Edward’ s III of England pledges to restore Guyenne, which was a vessel to France. Except for the territorial claim of Guyenne, the English wanted to regain dominance over the areas of Normandy, Anjou and other territories. On the other hand, the French wanted to ward off the English from Aquitania, taking back their territories. Of significant importance for both Kingdoms was the rich region of Flanders, which had developed a great trade relationship with the English. England was famous for its wool, while Flanders’ economy was based on textile production. The war is divided into four different periods, each period having a different winner until the final win of France over the English, with both countries counting, in the end, their numerous losses. The image below presents the timeline of the kings during the hundred year’s war and the periods of the war they reigned. https://edinuniv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2a5058d182fc47dc833e1b803cd2bf04&print 2/42 7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt Kings of England and Frace during the four periods of the Hundred'sYear War. The two kingdoms Two sides of the canal Henry V came to the throne of England in 1413, representing according to Rothero (1981) the role of the archetype of the better kind of medieval Christian king, than any other ruler of the period. He is described by the historians of the period as a pious, athletic, chivalrous, acquisitive, ruthless and eager to gain honour on the field of battle. His reign came to a critical point for the English Kingdom as it is divided and its moral is abysmal. Henry V aimed to turn the tide and the only way of achieving the unity of the English people was a war against a traditional enemy, in French ground. Starting a campaign against the French couldn’t happen out of nowhere, he needed a causation to do so. He found its cause in the proposal of outrageous demands from his enemy, demands he knew they would never accept. In more detail, according to Barker (2007) king Henry demanded: 1) The crown of France 2) The former Angevin Empire 3) The Duchy of Normandy 4) Half of Provence 5) The unpaid ransom of King Jean II (captured during the battle of Poitiers) 6) The hand of the French king’s daughter 7) A dowry of two million French Crowns The French, of course, declined those demands and the negotiations officially broke down in the early months of 1415. On the other side of the canal the situation is not better, but probably even worse. King Charles VI was the king of France since 1380, is known with the infamous title “The mad king”, because of his bouts of insanity during his reign. During the battle of Agincourt, his political power was taken away by prominent nobles who were his close relatives, because of his https://edinuniv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2a5058d182fc47dc833e1b803cd2bf04&print 3/42 7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt inability to make decisions about the kingdom (Bennet, 1991). Each noble was serving different interests, something that led to a friction between them. The peak of that friction was when John the fearless instigated the murder of Luis I of Orleans in 1407. The friction of interests quickly led to a civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians. The difference between the two kingdoms at this point favoured the English side, with King Henry V unifying his people against a kingdom torn into pieces. King Henry's campaign to Calais During the diplomatic negotiations, Henry was rapidly preparing for war since he knew the French would decline his extreme demands. In more detail, he had instructed the Master of the Ordnance, since 1413, to stock up with bow staves and arrows. Except for that he already had in his army siege equipment, such as battering devices and ladders, cast in London and Bristol (Bennett, 1991). Aiming to take advantage of the civil war in France he attempted to achieve a military alliance with the Duke of Burgundy, offering troops and a division of Armagnacs lords' territories. The lack of trust between each side led to the break down of the negotiations. The beginning of the campaign starts at Southampton, in the early months of 1415... Legend of maps visualising the English movements during the campaign of King Henry V in France The campaign https://edinuniv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2a5058d182fc47dc833e1b803cd2bf04&print 4/42 7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt Southampton Esri, HERE, Garmin, NGA, USGS Early months of 1415 King Henry V gathers and creates his invasion fleet at Southampton along with his army. Southampton Eu Arques Fecamp Esri, HERE, Garmin, NGA, USGS 10th of August 1415 The fleet departs with some of the greatest ships of England, such as Trinite Royale, Kathrine de la Toure, the Petite Trinite de la toure and the Rude Coq de la Toure. 13th of August 1415 English army three miles West of the small town of Chef de Caux. https://edinuniv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2a5058d182fc47dc833e1b803cd2bf04&print 5/42 7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt Abbeville Eu Arques Fecamp hef de Caux Esri, HERE, Garmin, NGA, USGS 18th of August 1415 The siege of Harfleur takes place. Arques Fecamp hef de Caux Harfleur Esri, HERE, Garmin, NGA, USGS 8th of October 1415 The English siege the city for almost five weeks, because of the good fortification, until they finally capture it. The army was weakened by the casualties of the war, disease and desertion leading to a huge loss of a quarter and a third of his starting army (History.com, 2015). Henry was expected to return home, but he decided to lead his army to Calais, where he would find his fleet and return back home. He decides to follow the tactic of Edward III, who was not capturing the cities, but he preferred to sack them https://edinuniv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2a5058d182fc47dc833e1b803cd2bf04&print 6/42 7/16/2018 The road to Agincourt and continue to the next one. That way Henry was aiming to reduce further the morale of the French, which was already low because of the civil war. To enhance that effort, he decided to quarter his banner with the arms of France and England, signifying himself as the ruler of France. Henry V leaves 1.200 of his men to guard the city and starts his march to Calais with 1.000 men at arms and 5.000 archers. Arques Fecamp hef de Caux Harfleur Esri, HERE, Garmin, NGA, USGS 9th of October 1415 Marching through Fecamp.